EXPERT HELP

Sister

A Novel

When Beatrice hears that her little sister, Tess, is missing, she returns home to London on the first flight available. But Bee is unprepared for the terrifying truths she must face about her younger sibling when Tess's broken body is discovered in the snow. The police, Bee's friends, her fiancé and even her mother accept the fact that Tess committed suicide. But nobody knows a sister like a sister, and Bee is convinced that something more sinister is responsible for Tess's untimely death. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

Opinion

From the critics

Community Activity

Comment

Tightly written thriller that also happens to explore the bonds of family, even after death. I found this book to be difficult to put down and the author managed to throw in a twist at the end that I did not anticipate. I love it when that happens.

I also truly enjoyed the author's exploration of grief and the process of accepting a loss in your life. I cannot wait to check out more work by this author.

"Beatrice is devastated when she learns that her sister, Tess, has been found dead -- and that Tess's death, unbelievably, has been ruled a suicide. Though she has a full, successful life in the U.S., Bee begins to take over Tess's life in London, starting with Tess's job and apartment, as she looks for a killer she knows must exist. As Bee's search goes on (she relates it, poignantly, in the form of a letter to Tess), the twists in the tale multiply -- Tess had been pregnant, though spurned by her married lover; she'd been in a clinical trial to cure her unborn baby of cystic fibrosis; and she may have had at least one stalker. Both a compelling tale of sisterly bonds and an eerie, suspenseful story that unfolds over the course of the book, Sister was a bestseller in the U.K." Fiction A to Z July 2014 newsletter http://www.libraryaware.com/996/NewsletterIssues/ViewIssue/b4f6ee64-db77-4e52-b8b4-047c4a840df7?postId=68a5ce8f-6d53-453a-a4fa-045bd063b705

The composition of the book didn't convince me in the beginning. But at the end - the reader can understand why it was chosen like that, and why there is first-person narrative, which was annoying for me at the beginning. From the middle of the book I felt really engaged with reading. No debt that the writer is a very smart and knowledgeable person. This book is not just about love between two sisters, but also about love among all human beings.

So after reading both of her books I have come to really appreciate this author, I finished both her books in one day. The two things that strike me the most are the viewpoints her stories are told from, I am unable to tell you without spoiling this book, and how completely unnerving and unsettling her endings are. She most definitely does not tie everything up with a pretty red bow.

Beatrice and her sister Tess share a strong bond. They talk and text every day, even though Beatrice lives in New York now and Tess is still home in London. Her horror and disbelief when told of Tess' suicide, spurs Beatrice to relentlessly search for who killed her and why. Storytelling is wonderful. I couldn't put this book down, even though at times tears were streaming. The ending was a bit of a surprise but did not ruin the book for me.

kelleypoole
Jan 17, 2013

I liked it but the ending left me flat. It should have been more neatly tied up (no pun intended).